Friday, January 11, 2013

Jake Gyllenhaal will star in "Prisoners" (2013) and in talks to star in 'Mississippi Grind'

Jake Gyllenhaal will produce 'Mississippi Grind': Indie darlings Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are delving into the world of gambling for their next film. Jake Gyllenhaal will produce and is in talks to star.

The multihyphenate duo, who directed Ryan Gosling to a best actor Oscar nomination for Half Nelson, will helm Mississippi Grind from a screenplay they penned. The story centers on a down-on-his-luck gambler facing crushing debt who teams up with a younger gambling addict (Gyllenhaal) in an attempt to change his luck. The two set off on a road trip through the South with visions of winning back what has been lost. The lead character would be a plum role for Hollywood's fortysomething set. WME, which reps Fleck, Boden and Gyllenhaal, is packaging the project, which would fall in the less-than-$10 million budget range.

Gyllenhaal brought the screenplay to Electric City partners Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell, who are also producing alongside former WME agent and Paramount president John Lesher. Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com

Aussie actor Ben Mendelsohn is a "that guy" on the rise. You might not know his name, but the Animal Kingdom star has been steadily making his way into American titles like Killing Them Softly, The Dark Knight Rises and Derek Cianfrance's eagerly awaited follow-up to Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines. Now the eye-catching supporting player is on the verge of becoming a Stateside leading man in the indie drama Mississippi Grind.

Jake Gyllenhaal will produce and is in talks to star as the younger lead, and Variety reports Mendelsohn is currently in negotiations for the other lead. There's no doubt the project seems promising for Mendelsohn. For one, it would step him into the leading man niche here in the U.S.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick in "End of Watch" (2012) directed by David Ayer

Secondly, Gyllenhaal is a hot commodity again thanks to his stirring performance in the critically celebrated cop drama End of Watch. Source: www.cinemablend.com